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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — in sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — low music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — a face
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kick — in football
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com